Penn State is off to the races in the coaching carousel following the dismissal of James Franklin on Sunday morning. Questions about Franklin’s future with the program surfaced after a gnarly loss to a previously winless UCLA in Week 6.
More News: Embattled Big Ten Coach Trends Amid PSU Firing James Franklin
On Sunday, it became clear that PSU needed to move in a different direction after suffering a third consecutive defeat in Week 7. The Nittany Lions looked unfocused and distracted in a 22-21 loss to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions have an attractive job to pitch potential coaches in their national search. PSU has made substantial investments in facilities and NIL funding. The program made the College Football Playoff semifinal in January.
Two big names are getting the bulk of the attention early in the coaching search. Curt Cignetti has been impressive in his two years at Indiana, leading the Hoosiers to the CFB last year. This season, he has the Hoosiers ranked No. 3 after taking down Oregon in Eugene on Saturday.
Per Bruce Fieldman of The Athletic, Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft appears to still have a strong connection with Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. (Kraft was the athletic director at Temple when Rhule first came to prominence in college football.)
The former head coach of the Carolina Panthers appears to have the same feeling for Kraft.
Per Feldman:
“Matt loves Pat and Pat loves Matt,” an industry source told The Athletic Sunday.”
Rhule went 28-23 with Temple before landing the head coaching job at Baylor in 2017. He went 19-20 with the Bears, leading the Program to an appearance in the Sugar Bowl in 2019.
Rhule left Baylor for Carolina in 2020. He went 11-27 in the NFL before the Panthers fired him in 2022.
Rhule accepted the Nebraska head coaching job in 2023. He’s gone 17-14 overall and 8-13 in Big Ten play with the Cornhuskers. Nebraska is 5-1 this season and is ranked No. 25.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
